Orchestra-harp.



No. 659,429. Patented Uct. 9, |900.

E. ALMCRANTZ G. TRNUVIST.

.. ORCHESTRA HARP.

- (Applimion med Apr. 4, 1900.)

KNO lldl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet i.

FIE-1- /0 NVENTORS.

No. 659,429. Patentad Oct. 9, |900.

G. ALMCRANTZ & G. TRNGVIST.

ORCHESTRA HARP.

(Application led Apr. 4, 1900.) W0 N0d| 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GERHARD ALMCRANTZ AND GIDEON TRNQVIST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ORCHESTRA-HARP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters "Patent No. 659,429, dat/ed October 9, 1900.

Application filed April 4, 1900- Serial No. 11,471. (No model.)

To all whom t may concerm Beit known that we, GERHARD ALMCEANTZ and GIDEON TRNQVIST, subjects of the King` of Sweden and Norway, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Orchestra-Iflarps, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to stringed musical instruments of the harp type, and has reference more particularly to that class or variety of harps commonly known as autoharpsg but by reason of the fact that our present improvements vastly extend the scope and capacity of the common autoharp, enabling it with advantage to be employed in an orchestra where desired, we have given it the designation of orchestra-harp.

The principal object of our invention is to produce a musical instrument of the character named capable of rendering a larger number and. variety of chords and arpeggios than can be obtained from the common instruments of this character through a convenient arrangement of the keys or finger-buttons combined with a longitudinally-adjustable capacity of the damper-bars transversely of the strings of the-instrument.

Other minor objects and purposes of the invention will appear later in the subjoined description thereof.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which- Figure l is a plan view of a harp with our improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section, enlarged, through the damper-bars and their casing, in the line c of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 isa detail, broken away, in enlarged vertical section, of the lock mechanism, on liuey y of Fig. l. Fig. is another detail, broken away, in enlarged vertical section, showing the manner of adjustably securing the damper-bar casing to the upper face or sounding-board of the harp, on the line .e z of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, broken away, in plan View, showing the keys or iingerbuttons which operate the damper-bars and our preferred system of indicating the different chords which may be obtained upon the manipulation of the several keys; and Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged detail views, in vertical section, broken away, on the lines z] e and 52 z2, respectively, ot' Fig. l, showing an improvement in the nature of a hinged tailpiece for covering the anchorpins of the strings.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

l designates the back, 2 the sides, and 3 the face or sounding-board, of our improved harp.

4 represents the strings, which, with the exception of the three or four lowest basestrings, will be tuned according to the chroinatic scale. rPhe strings are secured in and wound about a series of pegs 5, which latter may be turned so as to bring the instrument into perfect tune by the usual tuning-pins 6, connected to the pegs 5 by worm-gear, as common in `guitars and similar instruments. By reason of the close proximity to each other of the pegs 5 the tuning-pins 6 will necessarily be arranged in two horizontal offset rows in the upper end of the body of the harp.

Mounted transversely of the harp and slidably supported at its two ends upon the face or sounding-board thereof, so as to span the strings, is a casing or carriage 7, covering and inclosing a series of damper-bars S. This casing 7 comprises a top board 9, two side pieces lO l0, and two end blocks ll l1. The inner opposing sides of the end blocks ll ll are formed with a series of vertical grooves l2, in which the ends of the damper-bars 8 fit and are guided in their vertical movements, said damper-bars being normally held supported in their elevated positions out of contact with the strings of the instrument by springs 13, as plainly shown in Fig. 3. On the under side of each damper-bar is glued or otherwise secured a series of felt pads or dampers 14 of varying lengths, so spaced and disposed that when the bar is depressed they will stop or cut out all strings except such as will produce a certain musical chord. In the top of each damper-bar and at or near the longitudinal center there-ol' is secured a pin l5, the tops of said pins being provided with keys or finger-buttons 16, preferably set IOO close together in parallel rows transversely of the damper-bar casing and in offset or staggered relation, as shown.

We have herein shown a series of twenty damper-bars arranged side by side in close parallel order and having their felt dampers or stops so arranged that by depressing` said bars by the keys lt and sweeping the strings by the iingeror a suitable pick we can produce twenty different musical chords or arpeggios. The capacity of the instrument as thus described can be doubled by the simple mechanism which will now be described.

Each of the end blocks ll ll has formed in its base near each end a mortise l7, as shown in Fig, Lt. These mortises when the damperbar casing is in position are entered by four vertical posts 18, secured in the face or sounding-board of the harp and having eyes formed through their upper ends, through which are removably secu red, in the manner plainly shown in Fig. al, horizontal pins 19. These pins li) are arranged parallel with the long side of the casing, and the posts 1S are of considerably-less width than the inortises i7, whereby, it will be observed, the casing 7, carrying the entire series of damper-bars, is rendered capable of sliding a short distance, equal to the distance between two adjacent strings, transversely of the body of the harp, such movement being limited in each direction by the contact of the inner faces of the mortises or recesses 17 with the opposite sides of the posts 18. In order to lock the casii'tg 7 in the two extremes of its horizontal sliding movement, we prefer to employ the simple lock mechanism shown in Fig. 3. Here 19 indicates a small plate or strip of spring metal secured at 20 to the face oi' the harp and extending overa shallow recess 2l,t'ormed inthe latter. In this plate lt) are lformed two apertures 22 and which apertures are entered and engaged alternately by a small V-sbaped pin or tooth 24 on the base of one of the end blocks ll when the easing 7 is at the two extremes of its sliding movement. A spring-supported push-pin 25, havinga head 26 and passing vertically through the top board 9 and the end block ll, operates in an obvious manner to disengage the tooth 24 and the spring-plate 19 when it is desired to shift the position of the casing 7 and its contained series of damper-bars.

In Figs. l, t3, and 7 is illustrated a novel and useful improvement we have devised in the nature of a hinged tailpiece to serve as a cover and shield for the series of anchorpins to which the strings are secured. This consists of a recessed strip 27 of a length corresponding to the width of the harp and of a width substantially equal tothe depth of the body of the instrument. lt is hinged at its lower edge, as at 28, to the under edge of the lower end of the body of the harp, and is retained in its closed position, as shown, preferably by means of two thumb-nuts 29.29, engaging a pair of threaded pins or bolts 30 30, passing through its opposite ends and screwing into one of the sides 2 of the body Ot' the instrument. As an equivalent, a pair of spring-hinges mightI be used, which would dispense with the necessity of the nuts 2t) and bolts 30. 'lhe purpose of this tailpicce is t0 act as a guard and prevent the anchorpins or the loose ends ot' the strings secured thereto from either causing or receiving accidental injury. Then a broken or wornout string has to be replaced by a new one, by simply removing the thumb-nuts 29 29 the strip 27 can be swung down on its hinges, thus exposing the anchor-pins and readily enabling such a string to be removed and a new one to be applied.

Referring next to Figs. Vl and 5, we will describe the method of notation we prefer to employ to indicate the different chords or combinations of musical sounds which can be obtained by our improved harp, according to the tuning of the strings, the position ot' the damper-bar easing, and the depression of the keys. Across the face of the sounding-board, near the lower end of the instrument, are two rows of musical characters arranged directly beneath the string-i and indicating the notes to which the strings may be tuned. On the top board or cover t? of the damper-bar casing are two series of characters, one on each side ot' the bank of keys, each character in each series ind icating a certain chord and being connected with one of the keys by an arrow, as shown. On the faces of the keys themselves are marked a third series of similar cliaracters. When now the strings are tuned, as indicated by the lower row of letters under the strings, and

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the damper-bar casing is secured in its upper or right-hand position, on applying any one of the damper-bars to the strings by depressing its appropriate key and sweeping the strings with the linger or pick that chord will be produced which is indicated bythe character on the right of the key, (or above it in Fig. Then the damper-bar casing is shifted to and secured in its lower or lefthand position, the characters on the keys themselves indicate the respective chords that will be obtained upon the depression of the several keys and the subsequent striking of the strings. When now the strings of the instrument are tuned half a tone lower, `as indicated by the upper row of letters under the strings, and the damper-bar casing is in its right-hand position, the chord yielded upon the manipulation ot' any key will still be that indicated on the face ot' the key itself, while the other (left-hand) position ofthe damper-barcasing will bring the d am per-bans into a position relatively to the strings to yield the chords indicated by the respective characters on the left of the keys, (or below them in Fig. 5.)

It will thus be seen that by our improved harp, as above described, we are able to produce the major, minor, and seventh of every IIO chord of the chromatic scale, thus rendering the instrument universal in its application and capable ot rendering music written in any key, whether the strings are tuned according to the upper or lower row of characters on the sounding-board.

The manner of playing our improved orchestra-harp will readily be understood from the foregoing description of its construction. The instrument can betuned with the same facility as a guitar by means of the tuning-pins 6. Ordinarily the three or four lowest or base strings will be struck or picked by the thumb ot` the operator or by a suitable pick which may be worn on the thumb, While the rest of the strings not muted by the damper-bars are vibrated in quick succession by a sweeping or sliding movement of the pick across them, thus producing a rapid arpeggio. In the rendit-ion of any musical composition the operator will tune the strings and adj ust the position ofthe damperbars so as to best enable him to render the chords and successions of harmonies or musical sounds called for by that particular piece.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a musical instrument of the character described, the combination with the body and strings of the harp of a easing spanning the strings transversely and carrying a series of vertically-movable spring-supported parallel damper-bars, means for slidablyand removably securing said casing to the upper face ot the harp, said means comprising a series of vertical posts formed on one of said paris and entering a corresponding series of mortises formed in the other of said parts, said posts having a limited play in said mortises, and a series of removable pins passing loosely through eyes in said posts and locking said casing to the harp-body, substantially as described.

2. In a musical instrument of the character described, the combination with the body and strings of the harp of a casing spanning` the strings transversely and carrying a series of vertically-movable spring-supported parallel damper-bars, means for slidably and removably securing said casing to the upper face of the harp, said means comprising a series of vertical posts formed on one of said parts and entering a corresponding series of mortises formed in the other of said parts, said posts having a limited play in one direction in said mortises, and a series of removable pins passing loosely through eyes in the free ends of said posts and locking said casing to the harp-body, and means forautomatically locking the casing in either extreme of its sliding movement, substantially as described.

In a musical instrument of the character described, the combination with the body and strings of the harp of a casing spanning the string.-j transversely and carrying a series of vertically-1n ovable spring-supported parallel damper-bars, means for slidably and removably securing said casing to the upper face of the harp, said means comprising a series of posts set in the upper face of the harp-body and enteringa corresponding series of mortises formed in the end blocks of the casing, and having a limited play in one direction therein, and a series of pins removably secured through the end blocks of the casing and passing loosely through eyes in the upper ends of said posts and locking said casing to the harp-body, and means for automatically locking the casing in either eX- treme ot' its sliding movement, substantially as described.

il. In a musical instrument of the character described, the combination with the body and strings of the harp of a casing spanning the strings transversely and carrying a series of vertically-movable spring-supported parallel damperbars, means for adjusting the position of said 4casing transversely of the strings, and means for locking the casing in either extreme of its movement, said means comprising a spring-metal plate or strip secured in the face of the harp and having a series ot' apertures, a pin or tooth onthe base ot' the casing adapted to engage said apertures, and a springsupported push-pin mounted in said casing above said plate or strip and adapted, when depressed, to disengage said plate from said tooth, substantially as described.

5. In a musical instrument of the character described, the combination with the body and strings oi' the harp of a casing carrying a series of damper-bars, said casing spanning the strings and being adjustable transversely thereof, and said damper-bars being arranged in close proximity and each provided with a vertical pin at or near its longitudinal center which extends up through a hole in the topV board ot the casing and terminates in a key, said keys being arranged in a plurality of parallel rows transversely of the casing, and each being marked with a musical character indicative of the chord which will be produced through the manipulation of said key when the casing is at one limit of its adjustment, and the top board ot' the casingv bearing a series of musical characters connected with said keys and indicating the chords which will be produced by the manipulation of the keys when the casing is at the other limit of its adjustment, all substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two witnesses.

GERHARD' ALMCRANTZ. GIDEON TORNQVIST. Vitnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, GEORGE E. HALEY.

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